Tessera

Wild...crazy...Joshua down twice in round one...a near shock defeat...a high-pitched whispery impersonation of Mike Tyson...all kinds of shenanigans....which end with a very relieved Anthony Joshua [and Tyson Fury]. Only in boxing does such madness become routine www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

Anthony Joshua knocked down twice but stops Kristian Prenga in round two

The British heavyweight Anthony Joshua was knocked down twice in the first round but hit back to blast out the Albanian Kristian Prenga in the second

theguardian.com

Anthony Joshua knocked down twice but stops Kristian Prenga in round two

The British heavyweight Anthony Joshua was knocked down twice in the first round but hit back to blast out the Albanian Kristian Prenga in the second

theguardian.com

Dazn are charging subscribers an additional £19.99 pay-per-view fee to watch Joshua-Prenga tomorrow night. They sent out a wild publicity email this week describing Prenga as an “unbeaten 21-0 knockout artist”. But he lost to Giovanni Auriemma, who has beaten just one other opponent in 10 pro bouts

In a move lifted from Gianni Infantino’s playbook, the WBC will award Tyson Fury their inaugural Humanitarian title after he faces Mariusz Wach. Fury may pull his punches, at least for a while, less out of compassion for Wach than in the hope the Polish workhorse gives him a little light exercise.

Don McRae @donmcrae.bsky.social · 4w ago

Today Tyson Fury will amble around the ring against 46-year-old Mariusz Wach before receiving the WBC's inaugural Humanitarian award. Tomorrow Anthony Joshua will, apparently, be "a ferocious animal" against Kristian Prenga. The circus rolls on. Heady times. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

Fury and Joshua shadow-box their way towards overdue $100m showdown

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua return to the ring this weekend and face low-risk opponents as preparation for their long-trailed fight

theguardian.com

I really enjoyed interviewing Jayèma, the footballing hairstylist who had not heard of Messi & Haaland until this World Cup. But she hangs out with Lamine Yamal & his family & works with Raphinha, Rashford, Madueke etc. She's authentic, hardworking, funny & great www.theguardian.com/football/202...

‘Give me another medal!’: meet the hair stylist who has taken over the World Cup

Jayèma tells Donald McRae about working with England stars and forging a friendship with Lamine Yamal’s family

theguardian.com

Don McRae @donmcrae.bsky.social · 4w ago

Thanks to the great Sarah Storey for sharing the news of her retirement in our interview. What an athlete...74 major medals, including 19 golds at nine Paralympics. What a woman....who is also the chair of Lancashire Cricket & works with Andy Burnham in Manchester www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

Sarah Storey retires at 48: ‘It’s always about leaving something better than you found it’

After a stellar career that began in the swimming pool as a 14-year-old before five Games hoovering up cycling golds, Britain’s Paralympic dame tells Donald McRae: ‘I want to put my energy into someth...

theguardian.com

It was good to interview Tim Henman about his BnB days in Earls Court when he was starting out as a pro on his way to becoming World No4. We also spoke about his best man and BnB pal, Andrew Richardson, coaching Emma Raducanu again, and Alcaraz, Draper & Sinner. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

‘I hope it works’: Tim Henman on Raducanu’s coach and vice-captain duties at Laver Cup

Tim Henman tells Donald McRae he backs the best man at his wedding to reignite Raducanu and hopes to entice Jannik Sinner to join Team Europe at the O2

theguardian.com

Jack McRae @jackimmcrae.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Thanks Lewis Moody for a special interview as he spoke so openly about dealing with MND. The disease is harsh and cruel but Lewis, who turned 48 yesterday, is full of hope as he made this telling point: “MND is not incurable; it’s just underfunded.” www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

‘The present is all you have’: Lewis Moody on living with MND and joining the fight to find a cure

Rugby World Cup winner tells Donald McRae he feels like he is picking up the fundraising baton from people such as Doddie Weir and Rob Burrow

theguardian.com

As Mexico and South Africa prepare to kick off another World Cup, I went back over my history dissertation from 2022. I looked at how the tournament in 2010 helped fuel xenophobia in the country and the failures of FIFA. 16 years on, little has changed. jackimmcrae.com/2026/06/11/h...

How the vuvuzelas drowned out South Africa’s xenophobia and FIFA’s greed

Photograph: Wikimedia Commons / Marcello Casal Jr/ABr “It’s a really good ball. It’s Tshabalala! Goal Bafana Bafana! Goal for South Africa! Goal for all of Africa! Jabulile, rejoice&#82…

jackimmcrae.com

Thanks Matty Lee for talking so honestly about life after winning Olympic gold with Tom Daley - from financial problems and a loss of purpose to depression, panic attacks and IOC President Kirsty Coventry now saying that Olympians shouldn't win prize money... www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

‘I’m disappointed and I’m not alone’: Matty Lee hits out at Olympic president’s ‘amateur’ stance on pay

Retired diver Matty Lee tells Donald McRae about his disappointment at Kirsty Coventry’s stance on athletes being paid at the Olympic Games

theguardian.com

It was good to talk to Kelly Cates about presenting the World Cup and why, despite the many concerns, the old fever is starting to kick as she plans to "get in Irn-Bru and Tunnocks Caramel Wafers and Teacakes and make it a party atmosphere" in the BBC studio... www.theguardian.com/football/202...

‘We’re going to be in an unreal, mad World Cup time zone’: Kelly Cates on presenting in Salford at 2am

BBC TV and radio host on sportswashing, the brilliance of watching Argentina up close and why Donald Trump won’t be able to hijack the football glory

theguardian.com

Jack McRae@jackimmcrae.bsky.social · 2mo ago

My son Jack and I were in Budapest for the Champions League final. I think this is a pretty good account of his weekend

I wrote this in the early hours of Monday morning in an empty Oslo airport. I reflected on an intense weekend of highs and lows in Budapest. I was distraught when #AFC lost the #UCL final, but the joyous reality remains: Arsenal are champions of England. jackimmcrae.com/2026/06/03/t...

A few of us spoke to Anthony Joshua today as he explained how he has had to bury his emotions since the car crash which took the lives of his two close friends last December. He also spoke about his friendship with Oleksandr Usyk and his disdain for Tyson Fury www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

Anthony Joshua puts ‘emotions to side’ after crash as he prepares for boxing return

The former unified world champion will return to the ring in July, his first fight since two of his friends died and he was injured in a crash near Lagos

theguardian.com

This is a little self-indulgent and very personal but it's been a long old time for me and Arsenal: from apartheid to Budapest, Swindon to Soweto and somehow ending up here, in Hungary for the CL final tonight, with my Arsenal-crazy son @jackimmcrae.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/football/202...

My Arsenal devotion began with watching them lose in a South African cinema

As a boy in the apartheid era I saw footage of the Gunners getting beaten in the 1969 League Cup final by Third Division Swindon – on Saturday I will be in Budapest with my son for the Champions Leagu...

theguardian.com

I have just landed in Budapest on a plane full of fellow Arsenal fans as they crooned their way through the Gooners songbook. Tomorrow the Guardian are running a very personal piece about Arsenal and me, from apartheid to Budapest. It's been quite a trip...

Four and a half months ago I interviewed João Fonseca and felt sure that he was on his way to a special career. Today, he came back from two sets to love down to beat Novak Djokovic in Paris. This could be the start of something for the great young Brazilian. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/j...

‘It’s a long and difficult dream’: João Fonseca on practice, patience and matching Sinner and Alcaraz

Brazilian teenage tennis sensation tells Donald McRae he cannot control expectations but is looking forward to challenging the best again in 2026, starting at the Australian Open

theguardian.com

Jack McRae @jackimmcrae.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Thanks Sol Campbell for talking about Arsenal finally winning the league again, Saturday's game against PSG, scoring in the CL final 20 years ago, just months after his psychological collapse and why only Timber & Saliba make his combined XI with the Invincibles www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Sol Campbell: ‘PSG are favourites but sometimes you need a little luck’

The former England defender tells Donald McRae why he walked out on Arsenal, their chances in the Champions League final and Tuchel wielding the axe

theguardian.com

The Arsenal. Champions of England. Best night of my life. #Arsenal #AFC #COYG

Jack McRae@jackimmcrae.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I am biased, but I think this is a pretty good, heartfelt and personal piece on a day of county cricket at Lord's

This week I watched cricket. Ben Aitchison and Wayne Madsen shared a record-breaking partnership at Lord's to lead Derbyshire to victory over Middlesex. It was a great display and demonstrated how good long-form cricket is, even if it is being neglected. jackimmcrae.com/2026/05/22/t...

Fight Like a Girl is a raw and moving new feature film about a women's boxing team in Congo. It's based on a true story about Clarck Ntambwe and her inspirational trainer Kibomango. Thanks to the great Ama Qamata, Clarck and Matthew Leutwyler for our interviews www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

Fight Like a Girl: how boxing helped Clarck Ntambwe rebuild a broken life

Matthew Leutwyler’s film shows how the DRC fighter was inspired by trainer Kibomango after the death of her father

theguardian.com

I liked interviewing Zak Chelli, a supply teacher by day and a KO artist by night, after he shocked David Morrell. Rocky steeled himself for unlikely glory by pounding slabs of meat in a slaughterhouse. Mr Chelli, instead, was teaching in a school near Heathrow. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

‘Give him the pain’: meet Zak Chelli, the supply teacher turned boxing sensation

The light-heavyweight is a substitute teacher by day but on Saturday delivered a blistering lesson to Cuba’s David Morrell, he tells Donald McRae

theguardian.com

Sachin Nakrani @sachinnakrani.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley both won new respect for their courage and resolve after a fight which captured the glory and the damage of boxing in equal measure. Dubois, Don Charles and Frank Warren spoke to us in the early hours of Sunday morning... www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

Dubois rewrites quitter narrative in strangely uplifting night for boxing

New heavyweight champion climbed off the canvas twice before overwhelming Fabio Wardley in a battle that finally silenced his doubters

theguardian.com

“Howard Foster’s pale blue shirt turned crimson as if he worked in an abattoir rather than a boxing ring as a referee” @donmcrae.bsky.social for @theguardian.com on the brutal battle that took place between Daniel Dubois & Fabio Wardley in Manchester last night. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

Daniel Dubois stops Fabio Wardley in bloody epic to win WBO heavyweight title

Despite being knocked down in the opening seconds and again later, Daniel Dubois rallied to beat Fabio Wardley in an extraordinary bout

theguardian.com

Jack McRae @jackimmcrae.bsky.social · 3mo ago

It was a privilege to be ringside for Daniel Dubois v Fabio Wardley. Such courage and resolve from both of them in this blood-soaked epic. Look at Andrew Couldridge's incredible pic above my piece. Amid a blurring deadline I tried to write about the fight. www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/m...

Daniel Dubois stops Fabio Wardley in bloody epic to win WBO heavyweight title

Despite being knocked down in the opening seconds and again later, Daniel Dubois rallied to beat Fabio Wardley in an extraordinary bout

theguardian.com

This week I watched table tennis. Marty Supreme may have been the sport’s main talking point earlier this year, but China’s men’s defeat to Sweden on Sunday was a shock. Elsewhere, China’s women were flawless and there was disappointment for England. jackimmcrae.com/2026/05/05/t...

TWIW: Sweden shock China to usher in Marty Supreme era of table tennis

This week I watched table tennis. “I know it’s hard to believe but I’m telling you, this game, it fills stadiums overseas and it’s only a matter of time before I’m staring a…

jackimmcrae.com